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Commedia dell'Arte(03:33)

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Pierrot emerged as a late 18th Century character in Commedia dell'Arte based on Arlecchino. When two traveling family troops from different countries met in Royal Deer Park in Denmark, a pantomime tradition began that grew into the Peacock Theater. Stories from the Middle East and Asia inspired Carlo Gozzi's exotic plays.

"The Green Bird": The First Scene(03:43)

Brighella and Pantalone remember Tartaglia going off to war and leaving his mother to rule. The King returns to court. Tartagliona buried Queen Ninetta alive and ordered Pantalone to kill the queen's children. The man threw the twins into the river.

"The Green Bird": Raising the Twins(03:29)

Truffaldino and Smelderina rescued the children and named them Barberina and Renzo. Truffaldino informs the twins they are bastards and that he will no longer feed them. Giovanni Poli describes Commedia dell'Arte as a mixture of rhythms and words turned into music.

"The Green Bird": At the Palace(04:10)

King Tartaglia laments Queen Ninetta's demise; Truffaldino attempts to cheer him up. The musical rhythms of the prose inform the movement of the actors. Commedia dell'Arte characters relish in scatological humor.

"The Green Bird": The Twins Move (05:24)

Renzo falls in love with a statue in the garden of his mansion. Truffaldino discovers the twin's change of circumstances and convinces the boy to hire him.

"The Green Bird": Barberina and the King Flirt(06:18)

The King sees Barberina on the balcony across from the palace and marvels at her attributes. Tartagliona attempts to destroy the flirtation by convincing Barberina to search for the Green Bird. Tartaglia condemns his mother.

"The Green Bird": Conclusion(06:53)

Truffaldino ridicules Renzo for falling in love with a statue. Barberina requests her brother and father obtain the singing apple, the dancing waters, and the green bird. Serpentina guards two of the objects.